"Looking back never did anyone much good, but give them a stiff neck." Or at least my dad used to always say something like that. However, each and everyone of us looks back, whether it is because of some inner-drive to do better, or perhaps just for reasons of nostalgia.

"Live so you have no regrets" is another fairly common saying in our culture, or was when I was growing up. Quite often, it was used to justify insane, silly, or dangerous things, such as smoking, driving recklessly, etc. I think to use it as a justification leads to such ideas and actions. However, to have it as a guiding principle in completeness is something I have given a lot of thought to.

It is quite true, most of regret not having done things more than having done certain things. The seeming paradox is to live life to the fullest, to experience things, to really live without doing things you regret later. There seems to be a very fine line between the two types of regrets. And why not? The line in life between good and evil, happiness and sadness, is equally fine and sometimes very vague as to where it lies.

In my many, many years of experience (tongue in cheek at 24), I have come to find a few guiding principles that seem to help illuminate the line and make it very clear. This list, which follows below, has helped me live more, instead of being passive. It is helping me live without new regrets.

• Never hurt anyone, if you can help.
• Do good for others.
• Don't wait to do something fun.
• Don't call stupidity fun.
• Don't wait to learn and be more.
• Never hurt yourself.
• Learn, Live, and Love.